Xbox consoles become more expensive by up to US$150 from August 1st; Microsoft details increases
Xbox consoles will see a considerable increase in value, with increases that could reach US$150, starting on August 1st. Microsoft’s measure comes in a scenario of market adjustments, echoing recent movements by other large technology companies in the face of global cost dynamics.
This escalation represents the third price adjustment applied to Xbox devices in a period of just one year, indicating a continued trend of equipment appreciation.
Tech giant Microsoft has officially confirmed that the prices of its Xbox consoles will be adjusted, with the change taking effect from the first of August. The new figures could add up to US$150 to the final cost of each unit.
The last major price review took place a year ago, after a substantial increase was projected for 2025. The scenario where the Xbox Series
Among the affected models, the version with 1 TB of storage will have the biggest increase, totaling an additional US$150 to its original price.
The main factor behind this decision is the constant rise in production costs, driven by global shortages of essential components such as memory and storage. Below, the new detailed values for each console version.
- Xbox Series S 512GB: from US$400 (approx. ¥64,000) to US$500 (approx. ¥80,000) – increase of US$100
- Xbox Series S 1TB: from US$450 (approx. ¥73,000) to US$600 (approx. ¥97,000) – increase of US$150
- Xbox Series
- Xbox Series
The final increase varies from US$100 to US$150, directly related to the capacity of each console’s internal SSD. The Xbox Series X version equipped with a disc player, for example, will cost US$800, equivalent to around 130,000 yen.
Although Microsoft has not released prices for the Japanese market, the Xbox Series X with disc player currently costs 87,980 yen, including taxes. Although the direct conversion to dollars may not be identical, the final price is expected to be significantly higher in this region as well, which indicates a global readjustment trend.
The Xbox division, in an official statement, clarified the reasons for the adjustment. The company stated that it had investigated several alternatives with its suppliers in recent months to avoid new increases compared to the previous year. However, storage and memory costs for consoles have already doubled, with a further doubling projected by the third quarter of 2027.
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To mitigate the impact on sales, the company will introduce other initiatives, such as interest-free installment payment plans and special offers on refurbished Xbox consoles.
Xbox detailed that the new strategies aim to compensate for the likely decrease in the volume of new consumers, a direct effect of the increase in the price of its equipment.
One of the main new features is the possibility of purchasing Xbox consoles with financing in up to 12 monthly installments. The additional benefit is the absence of annual interest, making installments more affordable for buyers.
Additionally, the Microsoft Store will begin selling “certified refurbished” Xbox consoles, which will be available at significant discounts of up to $100 off the price of new ones.
Impact of price hikes on game launches and the future of Xbox
The upcoming release calendar includes major titles such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 in October and the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) in November. Furthermore, the expectation is that the next generation of Xbox will hit the market next year, which adds more layers to this pricing scenario.
Although the price increase is attributed to the shortage of memory and storage, a problem that affects several technological products, choosing the moment for the adjustment is considered challenging for the brand. The visibility of the announcement that “GTA 6 will come to Xbox Series X/S” on the official Xbox page, shortly after the raise announcements, highlights a complex period for the company’s strategy.
Sony, with its PlayStation 5 (PS5), also implemented a price increase in April, justified by the same insufficient memory and storage components. This situation indicates that both Sony and Microsoft face complex financial decisions, where value adjustments become a persistent challenge not only for manufacturers, but also for consumers and game enthusiasts.
